Does anyone else think like me that the behaviour and reaction of some of the French footbal team during Euro 2012 has been disrespectful to their country, their shirt and their supporters?
I thought that certain players were acting like spoilt brats.
I also think the 'post mortems' after teams are knocked out of a competition like this are shameful. The England Italy reporting is scandalous. The game ended goalless, fine. That shows the teams were well matched, not 'our missed chances because of' stories in which the opponent is blamed rather than complemented for good defending or whatever. Then the penalty shoot out, especially with the English track record on shoot outs, can hardly be anything but accepted, but no, there are again blame the opponents type excuses and also more post mortems on whose penalty shots are rubbish and so on. Why can't teams simply lose with good grace? The French team's behaviour was disgraceful, as Nick says, disrespectful to their compatriot supporters, spoilt brats indeed. England sulked their way off the pitch and presumably back to England, but for all of that their earnings for the competition as far as they went are about the same as several years wages for some. All for less than a normal working day for most people.
Sort of the same. I followed Chelsea for years but now the expensive players and managers all sulking and moody rather than enjoying a game... Nah, not for me. Being of a real minor international rugby team, which I concede, I am used to watching the game rather than expecting a spectacular win and can not real be disappointed. I played hooker myself, as part of my nasal bone missing bears witness to, so know a wee bit about the game and do go to local games now and again. They're amateurs having fun.
or better still as you say Nick, I'll be able to take my 3 year old to watch Albi next season, we'll only be a 10 minute drive to the stade, 3 isn't too young is it...!
...or better still, on the local pitches
Yet again I've been thoroughly p1ssed off by the spoilt little brats, that's what they are in my book, Nasri and the rest, and as with the world cup it makes me realise why I hardly ever watch or have anything to do with football and just follow the rugby, being in the south west helps too as we get most of the matches on local tele ;-)
Give you another example of greed: my local rugby club was built up from players in the town. Good passionate players. Then we started playing in the first division. They drafted in players from all over including Scottish internationals and three All Blacks (Gary and Alain Whetton - the All Black captain, and Bruce Hodder, the NZ hooker).
Well with all that talent, what do you think happened?
Yes the local lads no longer got a game on a Saturday, the team went down the pan as the drafted players didn’t have the same passion. The club followed the team round the U bend, they ended up selling the clubhouse and the pitches to s local developer and had to continue their division four north matches on the local school (my ex school) rugby pitches.
How pride comes before a fall.
Many years ago I knew a soccer player, Tommy Baldwin of Chelsea who played for England a few times. He was a pint at the pub, game of darts type. He was also the lover of Michael Crawford's Swedish wife (they are long since divorced, so I give nothing away), but his car was a dead ordinary Vauxhall and possibly second hand. The transition to what the players are now is scarey. They play for money, not passion in many people's minds plus they will eventually bankrupt many smaller clubs and reduce national leagues to small elites. Not sport.
I think as David Rosemount pointed out in another conversation, it is symptomatic of the way things are going in terms of lack of respect across the board. Young kids having far too much money, far too early and not having the mental wherewithal to handle it.
Speaking to one guy many years ago in a hotel bar in Clichy who reckoned he knew Rooney. His comment was along the lines of good job football found Rooney or Rooney would have found prison.
You even see it on here where we are deemed to be sensible adults, people starting to get hot under the collar when someone touches on their pet subject or expresses a different point of view from their own. We don’t have to be like that, we can take a step back and say, yes there are two sides to each story.